The Royal Veterinary College’s (RVC) VetCompass™ programme, undertook research into dog conditions most often presented to Vets. As part of this study they also looked at the impact of these conditions on the welfare of dogs.
From the eight major disorders seen by Vets, the three with the highest overall impact on dog welfare were identified as:
- Dental disease
- Osteoarthritis
- Obesity
I like to read research, especially about dogs. I don’t always understand the clinical lingo, but what immediately struck me about this research is how preventable two of those areas are. We can definitely manage cleaning of teeth and what we feed our dogs.
I’ve mentioned in previous blogs how to monitor your dog’s weight through body condition, you can read it again here.
I’ve also talked about how I clean Jake and Truly’s teeth daily. They love Virbac Enzymatic toothpaste (poultry flavoured). I haven’t tasted it myself… but as there’s usually a race to actually clean their teeth before they lick all the paste off, I think I can safely assume that they approve!
To reiterate, don’t use human toothpaste on dogs… the ingredients shouldn’t be swallowed by dogs (or humans).
You can read the RVC news article here, and find further information on the VetCompass study here.
Until next time
Jen
